Frog of the Week

Dotted Humming Frog (Chiasmocleis ventrimaculata)

Dotted Humming Frog
photo by Arley O. Gallardo

Common Name: Dotted Humming Frog
Scientific Name: Chiasmocleis ventrimaculata
Family: Microhylidae – Narrow mouthed frog family
Location: Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru
Size: 0.78 inches (2 cm)

The DottedHumming Frog is known for its special relationship with Tarantulas. How does a tiny frog and a big spider that often eats frogs become friends? Well…. Momma tarantulas are very good at dealing with a variety of predators while defending their eggs but unfortunately, small insects such as ants can be a problem for such a large spider. Luckily, that’s where the little frog comes into play.

The Dotted Humming Frog is a member of the family Microhylidae – the Narrow mouthed frogs. The narrowness of their mouths are perfect for eating ants that could harm the eggs of the tarantulas. So the tarantulas gets protecting for her eggs and the frog gets protection from any other predators that would attack it. This is called a mutualism, where animals share a relationship where both benefit positively.

Dotted Humming Frog
photo by Andreas Schlüter

Reproduction happens during the wet season when temporary pools form from the rain water. Males will call from the pools to attract the females. Once the female arrives, the male grabs her from behind in amplexus. Then, she lays her eggs and the male fertilizes them. The female lays around 400 eggs. Neither parent provides any care for their offspring. The eggs hatch around a day and a half after being laid while the tadpoles take around 3 weeks to complete their metamorphosis.

The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List assesses the Dotted Humming Frog as Least Concern for Extinction due to their wide range and presumed large population.

croctober

CROCtober 2023

Welcome to Croctober 2023! Get ready to embark on a thrilling journey into the world of one of nature’s most formidable and fascinating creatures: the crocodile (and other crocodilians). Throughout this month, we’ll be diving deep into the depths of these ancient reptiles, uncovering their secrets, and celebrating their remarkable existence.

croctober

Nile Crocodile (Crocodylus niloticus)

Nile Crocodile
photo by flickr / wikiuser dewet

Common Name: Nile Crocodile
Scientific Name: Crocodylus niloticus
Family: Crocodylidae – Crocodile Family
Locations: Angola, Botswana, Burund, Cameroon, Congo, The Democratic Republic of the Congo, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Gabon, Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Rwanda, Somalia, South Africa, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe
Size: 16 – 20 feet (4.8 – 6 meters), 500 – 1,650 pounds (227 – 750 kilograms)

The Nile Crocodile lives not just by the Nile River but throughout most of Africa. The croc can live in salt water but prefers fresh or brackish waters. The males of the species are larger than the females, typical for crocodilians. They are apex predators. They are also considered the second largest living reptile by body mass.

During the mating season, the male crocodiles try to attract the females by bellowing, blowing air out of their nose, or smacking their snout on the water. Honestly, pretty much anything to get the females attention. Males can fight between themselves over territory. I won’t go into the details on the mating but its not great for the female.

One to two months later, the female lays between 25 – 80 eggs in a nest that she made. She needs no man.

The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List assesses the Nile Crocodile as Least Concern for Extinction. The crocodile has a wide range and are numerous throughout it.

Frog of the Week

Cricket Coqui (Eleutherodactylus gryllus)

Cricket Coquí (Eleutherodactylus gryllus)
photo by Luis J. Villanueva-Rivera

Common Name: Cricket Coqui and Puerto Rican Green Frog
Scientific Name: Eleutherodactylus gryllus
Family: Eleutherodactylidae
Locations: Puerto Rico
Size: 0.6 inches (16 mm)

The Cricket Coqui is one of the two arboreal species of Coquis. They spend their days hiding in bromeliad plants on tree trunks and during the night, they become active to forage and mate. The females lay their eggs in the axis of the bromeliads where the eggs will develop directly into froglets.

The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List assesses the Cricket Coqui as Critically Endangered. Extensive deforestation in the past has limited the frogs to only areas of high elevation in El Yunque National Forest. However, the frogs are still not on the federal government endangered species list. Its not even listed as threatened. Why? No idea why no one cares.

Uncategorized

Northern Two-lined Salamander (Eurycea bislineata)

Northern Two-lined Salamander
photo by Henk Wallays

Common Name: Northern Two-lined Salamander
Scientific Name: Eurycea bislineata
Family: Plethodontidae – Lungless Salamander family
Locations: Canada and the United States
US Locations: Connecticut, District of Columbia, Delaware, Massachusetts, Maryland, Maine, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Virginia, Vermont, and West Virginia
Size: 2.4 – 3.8 inches (61 – 97 mm)

The Northern Two-lined Salamander lives in and near brooks, streams, and seepages. Like all members of the family Plethodontidae, they lack lungs and absorb the oxygen they need through their skin.

Reproduction starts from September (southern areas) to May (northern areas) depending on the location. Males lay their spermatophores for the females to pick up. The males will nose the female to try to get her to pick them up. Females lay up to 200 eggs on the underside of rocks. Females have been observed guarding their clutches of eggs. Eggs hatch after a month and then the larva take one to three years to complete their metamorphosis.

The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List assesses the Northern Two-lined Salamander as Least Concern for Extinction. They have a good size range and are numerous throughout it. However, the salamanders do not like highly urbanized areas which are increasing in their range.

Frog of the Week

Montane Litter Frog (Leptobrachium montanum)

Montane Litter Frog (Leptobrachium montanum)
photo by Thomas Brown

Common Name: Montane Litter Frog, Mountain Litter Frog, Mountain Spadefoot Toad, Mountain Large-Eyed Litter Frog
Scientific Name: Leptobrachium montanum
Family: Megophryidae – Leaf Litter Frogs
Location: Brunei, Indonesia, and Malaysia
Size: 3.4 inches (87 mm)

The Montane Litter Frog lives in the rain forests at elevations of above 900 meters (0.55 miles) on the island of Borneo. They spend most of their time blending in with the leaf litter on the ground.

During the mating season, the males call out for the females with a duck-like call. Once the female arrives, the male grasps her from behind. Female frogs are larger than the males. The female frog lays her eggs in the stream and the male fertilizes them. Then, the frogs leave and provide no care for their offspring.

The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List assesses the Montane Litter Frog as Least Concern for Extinction. The frogs have a large range and presumed large population. However, increased clearing of the rain forests they call home to make room for palm oil plantations and to just harvest timber are an increasing threat to the frogs.

Frog of the Week

Vicente’s Poison Frog (Oophaga vicentei)

Vicente's Poison Frog (Oophaga vicentei)
photo by Brian Gratwicke
Conservation status is Endangered

Common Name: Vicente’s Poison Frog
Scientific Name: Oophaga vicentei
Family: Dendrobatidae – Poison Dart Frog family
Location: Panama
Size: 0.7 – 0.9 inches (18 – 23 mm)

The Vicente’s Poison Frog lives along the eastern lowlands of the coast of Panama. They come in a variety of different colors. They live mostly in trees but are seen in some areas on the ground or the base of trees. Even mating takes place in the trees. Females lay their eggs in plants, lay unfertilized eggs for their tadpoles to eat, and move the eggs from plant to plant if the water is drying up. The genus Oophaga means egg eating.

Vicente's Poison Frog (Oophaga vicentei)
Brian Gratwicke

The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List assesses the Vicente’s Poison Frog as Endangered with Extinction. The habitat for the frog is being destroyed to make room for farms, mines, and houses. Besides that, Chytrid Fungus, a deadly disease for frogs, has been found in the species. There are some frogs in captivity to help keep them safe, including at the Panama Amphibian Rescue and Conservation Project.

Vicente's Poison Frog (Oophaga vicentei)
photo by Brian Gratwicke
Frog of the Week

Chaco Horned Frog (Chacophrys pierotti)

Chaco Horned Frog
photo by Nadia Bach

Common Name: Chaco Horned Frog, Lesser Chini Frog, Chacoan Burrowing Frog, and Escuercito
Scientific Name: Chacophrys pierotti
Family: Ceratophryidae – Horned Frog Family
Location: Argentina, Bolivia, and Uruguay
Size: 1.7 – 2.5 inches (45 – 65 mm)

The Chaco Horned Frog lives in the hot, semi arid Gran Chaco and Chaco Seco regions It has adapted to this area by living a fossorial (living underground), nocturnal (active at night) lifestyle. While underground, the frog makes a cocoon out of their dead skin to prevent water loss. Best time to see the frogs is during the rainy season when the frogs come to the surface to breed.

Breeding activity spikes in January. Thanks to the rain, temporary lagoons form which the males call from the edges of. Once the females arrive, the male grasps her from behind in amplexus. Then, the female lays her eggs and the males fertilizes them. Neither parent provides any parental care.

The Chaco Horned Frog is the only species in the genus Chacophrys.

The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List assesses the Chaco Horned Frog as Least Concern for Extinction. They have a wide range and a presumed large population. However, increased farming has decreased the quality of the habitat. Also, there is increased frequency of fires in the region.

Frog of the Week

Tyrrhenian Painted Frog (Discoglossus sardus)

Tyrrhenian Painted Frog (Discoglossus sardus)
photo by Todd Pierson

Common Name: Tyrrhenian Painted Frog, Sardinia Painted Frog 
Scientific Name: Discoglossus sardus
Family: Alytidae – Midwife Toad and Painted Frog family
Location: France and Italy
Size: 2 – 3 inches (5 – 7.5 cm)

The Tyrrhenian Painted Frog lives on the islands in the Tyrrhenian Sea, primarily Sardinia and Corsica, as well as a little bit in main land Italy. The frog comes in a variety of colors – brown, gray, red, and black. Member of the genus Discoglossus – the Painted Frogs, have a lighter colored golden part in the upper eye.

The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List assesses the Tyrrhenian Painted Frog as Least Concern for Extinction due to their decent sized range and presumed large population. However, there are serious threats to the species. The quality of their habitat is being reduced due to damming of streams and extraction of water from them.

Frog of the Week

Senegal Running Frog (Kassina senegalensis)

Senegal Running Frog
photo by Brian Gratwicke

Common Name: Senegal Running Frog, Senegal Kassina, Senegal Land Frog
Scientific Name: Kassina senegalensis
Family: Hyperoliidae
Locations: Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Cote d’Ivoire, Ethiopia, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, South Sudan, Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe
Size: 2 inches (49 mm)

The Senegal Running Frog lives across a wide variety of habitats such as grasslands, shrublands, savannas, and wetlands in sub-Saharan Africa. Due to its large range, the frog could actually be multiple different cryptic species. More research and testing is needed to confirm this. The genus Kassina is known as the Running Frogs due to their weird walking they do instead of hopping like a regular frog. I don’t know why they call them running frogs instead of walking frogs though.

During mating season (spring to late summer), the male frogs call out from the edges of temporary or permanent water bodies to attract females. Once the female arrives, the male grasps her from behind in amplexus. Then, the female lays her eggs and the male fertilizes them. The female lays between 100 to 500 eggs. The parents provide no parental care for their offspring. The eggs hatch in 5 or 6 days and then the tadpoles take between 50 and 90 days to complete their metamorphosis.

The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List assess the Senegal Running Frog as Least Concern for Extinction. They have a huge range and are presumed numerous throughout it.